Indian Railways has staged a remarkable recovery and exceeded freight loading of FY 2019-20 in FY 2020-21 with several days to spare.
IR suffered a massive blow to passenger and freight revenues as a result of the lockdown that started in late March 2020 and continued in various forms all the way till June 2020. Acting with unusual agility, the organization picked up the pieces and tried to fill the hole in revenues left by the lockdown.
By 11th March 2021, Indian Railways’ cumulative freight loading touched 1145.68 million tonnes, edging past the FY 2019-20 total of 1,145.61 million tonnes.
On a month to month basis, upto March 11, 2021, Indian Railways loading was 43.43 million tonnes, which is 10 % higher compared to last year’ loading for the same period (39.33 million tonnes).
On day to day basis, on 11th March 2021, the freight loading of Indian Railways was 4.07 million tonnes, which is 34% higher compared to last year’s loading for the same date (3.03 million tonnes).
Average speed of Freight Trains in the month of March 2021 till 11th March was 45.49 kmph, almost double last year’s average for the same period 23.29 kmph.
To drum up more traffic, IR rolled out several concessions, discounts and incentive schemes for potential clients. Business Development Units were set up in zones and divisions and tasked with reaching out to regional industry and businesses.